To mark Chinese New Year, Microgaming released its latest slot game Dragon Dance this week. It is needless to say that this is yet another oriental-themed slot game by the provider. However, if the Year of the Monkey is anything to go by, this game should be witty, inventive and intelligent.

Special Features

At first glance, Microgaming’s Dragon Dance seems rather standard. It has five reels and three rows. Instead of a complex payline structure, though, Microgaming has designed the game so, that players simply have to match symbols on adjacent reels.

Of course, the symbols are all theme-related and include Chinese dancers, the dragon costume and many others. In sum, this game may seem pretty bog standard at first. However, some of the game’s bonus features make up for this and are a reason to love the slot game.

Its free-spins feature is particularly strong. Players simply have to land at least three Chinese cracker symbols. While this gives players a relatively median 15 free spins, these multiply winnings by three and can be retriggered throughout the rounds.

Fans of Microgaming’s respin feature, which allows players to pay to respin any one reel, will be delighted to hear that Dragon Dance includes this.

Win lines, Payouts and Jackpots

The game has all the typical options – Autoplay, bet level adjustment etc. – and prominently displays the many ways to win at the side: 243 to be precise.

The bigger wins are available in the free spins feature. With this in mind, it is simply down to luck if you win high sums in this game. However, to get the most from the multiplier that is applied in free spins round, it’s advisable not to hold back too much on your coin amount.

Given the game’s simplicity, players may want to make use of the Autoplay feature, which can be adjusted to meet a player’s desired amount of automatically triggered turns.

Our Verdict on Dragon Dance

This game is a little like Microgaming's other recent release, Bikini Party. The main difference lies in the interface. While this may seem lazy on Microgaming-side, it is rather a welcome change for players who enjoy that type of game, but prefer the Chinese theme to a full-blown beach party.